Patriarchy
‘Patriarchy’ is a word that literally means "the rule of the father"67 and comes from the Greek πατριάρχης (patriarkhēs),8 "father or chief of a race",9 and it is a word that refers to the institution of the rule of fathers, i.e. a social system in which men have privilege versus women and non-binary genders. Patriarchy is one the main and oldest institutions in history, wherein men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage. Some of the oldest historical records refer to the rule of fathers, such as in the Bible and in Ancient Greek literature. In Rome the institutions are known as paterfamilias (father families). ‘Patriarchy’ is often contrasted with matriarchy. The rule of parents is referred to as parentocracy. "Originally it referred to the father as the head of the household, owner of property, and the descent of ownership and title through the male line, then evolved to a concept of government and society ruled by men, and now refers to a government and society dominated by men de facto (the United States and the West in general), if not de jure (theocratic governments, the Catholic Church). Patriarchy is a subsystem of the larger kyriarchy, which is the complex of *-archies that privilege the ruling group/class over the various oppressed peoples living under them. For example, in the United States, the kyriarchy favors heterosexual, wealthy, able, white, Christian cis-men between the ages of 30 and 70, so long as they look and act "proper" (suit and tie, rather than jeans and a t-shirt, for example)." Historically, patriarchy has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, religious, and economic organization of a range of different cultures.3 Etymology Patriarchy literally means "the rule of the father"67 and comes from the Greek πατριάρχης (patriarkhēs),8 "father or chief of a race",9 which is a compound of πατριά (patria), "lineage, descent"10 (from πατήρ patēr, "father"11) and ἄρχω (arkhō), "rule, govern".12 Basically, it can mean ‘the rule of patriarchs’. History Historically, the term patriarchy has been used to refer to autocratic rule by the male head of a family; however, since the late 20th century it has also been used to refer to social systems in which power is primarily held by adult men,131415 particularly by writers associated with second-wave feminism such as Kate Millett; these writers sought to use an understanding of patriarchal social relations to liberate women from male domination.1617 This feminist-influenced concept of patriarchy was developed to explain male dominance as a social, rather than biological, phenomenon.14 According to the Catholic encyclopedia, «New Advent", Patriarch (Gr. patriarches; Latin patriarcha) means the father or chief of a race (patria, a clan or family). The word occurs in the Septuagint for the chiefs of the tribes (e.g. 1 Chronicles 24:31; 27:22, patriarchai ton phylon; cf. 2 Chronicles 23:20 etc.); in the New Testament (Hebrews 7:4) it is applied to Abraham as a version of his title "father of many nations" (Genesis 17:4), to David (Acts 2:29), and to the twelve sons of Jacob (Acts 7:8-9). This last became the special meaning of the word when used of Scriptural characters. The heads of the tribes were the "Twelve Patriarchs", though the word is used also in a more general sense for the fathers of the Old Law in general, e.g. the invocation in the litany, "All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets". Names of Christian dignitaries were in early days taken sometimes from civil life (episkopos, diakonos), sometimes borrowed from the Jews (presbyteros). The name patriarch is one of the latter class. Bishops of special dignity were called patriarchs just as deacons were called levites, because their place corresponded by analogy to those in the Old Law. All such titles became technical terms, official titles, only gradually. At first they were used loosely as names of honour without any strict connotation; but in all such cases the reality existed before any special name was used. There were ecclesiastical dignitaries with all the rights and prerogatives of patriarchs in the first three centuries; but the official title does not occur till later. As a Christian title of honour the word patriarch appears first as applied to Pope Leo I in a letter of Theodosius II (408-50; Mansi, VI, 68). Pre-History Anthropological, archaeological and evolutionary psychological evidence suggests that most prehistoric societies were relatively egalitarian, and that patriarchal social structures did not develop until many years after the end of the Pleistocene era, following social and technological developments such as agriculture and domestication.202122 According to Robert M. Strozier, historical research has not yet found a specific "initiating event".23 Gerda Lerner asserts that there was no single event, and documents that patriarchy as a social system arose in different parts of the world at different times.24 Some scholars point to about six thousand years ago (4000 BCE), when the concept of fatherhood took root, as the beginning of the spread of patriarchy.2526 Variations Not to be confused with Machocracy. Patriarchy is the rule of fathers. Machocracy is the rule of macho-males."Feminism fights patriarchy, but wittingly and unwittingly supports machocracy." See: Hypergame; Red Pill Feminist theory Feminist theorists have written extensively about patriarchy either as a primary cause of women's oppression, or as part of an interactive system. Shulamith Firestone, a radical-libertarian feminist, defines patriarchy as a system of oppression of women. Firestone believes that patriarchy is caused by the biological inequalities between women and men, e.g. that women bear children, while men do not. Firestone writes that patriarchal ideologies support the oppression of women and gives as an example the joy of giving birth, which she labels a patriarchal myth. For Firestone, women must gain control over reproduction in order to be free from oppression.24 Biology The testimonies of other primates (for example, chimpanzees6162) about male sexual coercion and female resistance to this indicate that sexual conflicts of interest underlying the patriarchy precede the emergence of the human race.63 However, the extent of male power over females varies greatly across different primate species.63 Male coercion of females is rarely, if ever, observed in bonobos, for example,63 and they are widely considered to be matriarchal in their social structure.6465 This is probably due to the fact that males of bonobos have a very small amount of testosterone compared to males of chimpanzees, the reason being that males of bonobos evolved in an environment different from chimpanzees, and they did not have to compete for resources and females.66 Media * «The age of patriarchy: how an unfashionable idea became a rallying cry for feminism today. — A term that was derided and abandoned a decade ago has come roaring back to life.» By Charlotte Higgins * «Why Patriarchy Is Not About Men The underlying principles of patriarchy are separation and control.» Posted Aug 04, 2017 Miki Kashtan Ph.D. Rhizomata * Family as a model for the state; Family economics * Feminism; Gender role; Hegemonic masculinity; Heteropatriarchy; Homemaker * Male expendability; Masculinity; Nature versus nurture; Patriarch (disambiguation) * Patriarchate; Patrilineality; Patrilocal residence; Phallocentrism * Sociology of fatherhood; The personal is political; Tree of patriarchy; Androcracy * Kyriarchy; Male privilege; * Matriarchy; Biblical patriarchy; Chinese patriarchy; Pater familias; Women in Islam * Androcentrism; Feminism; Tradition